The Curse of the Glass Heart
by A.R. Van Halleorg
Summary: Trapped in the past, Emma's glass heart beats wildly against her ribcage. Her lifeline, Regina Mills, is in the future and the only person who can help her now is a woman no one would dare ask for anything. Desperate to get back to Regina, she finds her way to the court of the Evil Queen, knowing failure will shatter her cursed heart and her Queen's happiness lost forever.
1. Chapter 1

_**Storybrooke**_**, **_**Present Day**_

"Emma, wait!" Henry ran after his blonde mother as she rushed towards Zelena, her sword brandished and everything. Had the situation not been so dire, he would have thought she looked like a hero, but all he could focus on was the look on Zelena's face and he knew something very bad was about to happen. He ducked down behind a tree and pulled the phone from his pocket that his other mother had snuck to him earlier that morning. It took a single ring, before the line picked up. "Mom, help!" he shouted, before she could say anything.

In less than a blink of an eye, Regina appeared in a puff of purple smoke by her son's side. "What is it? What's-"

"Emma," Henry pointed towards the two women facing off.

Regina hurried forward, but it was too late. Zelena hit the blonde with a blast of green and watched as she flew backwards through the air.

Emma hit the ground and grabbed at her chest, abject terror on her features.

Zelena blew a kiss at her half-sister. "Hope you didn't need this one." With that, she disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Regina rushed over to the blonde's side and sank down to her knees. She tried to pull the clawing hands away from her chest, but the blonde was resisting. "Miss Swan, I need to see what's happened, please let me help you."

Emma was terrified, but she moved her hands away as asked, hoping her heart wouldn't stop entirely while the woman figured out what was going on. Whatever Zelena did, it wasn't a simple case of wind being knocked out of her.

Regina pressed her hand into the woman's chest and felt the heart within. It was frantic and she could feel it pressing impossibly outwards. If it continued, it would explode within her chest. She felt her own heart drop at the thought. The Saviour was going to die. She thought over the various ways she'd looked into protecting her heart in the past. Different ways to keep her mother from crushing it. There was a spell in particular. It could work, but the blonde may not like the consequences.

"Mom, do something! Please!" Henry shouted at her, tears tracking down his cheeks. "Please," he sobbed.

Mind made up, she decided she would take whatever the blonde gave her for what she was about to do. She closed her eyes and channeled magic. Sand lifted off the ground and loomed above the blonde's chest, then started sinking into her chest where the brunette's hand was.

Emma began to panic, her chest felt like it was on fire. She could see the spots forming in her vision, just before she blacked out from the pain.

Regina wasn't deterred, trying to command the fire without permanently damaging the woman's insides. It was a struggle to melt down sand, while keeping the surroundings cool. She could very well kill the woman.

"Mom? What's happening? Why did she pass out?"

"Not now, Henry!" Regina snapped, maintaining her focus, until she felt the glass cooling beneath her fingertips. She waited and waited, not feeling a beat beneath the cool surface. She suddenly felt nervous. They would think she'd killed the Saviour. They'd have her killed, even if she did manage to save them from Zelena.

A beat.

Brown eyes snapped back to where her hand was buried in the blonde's chest. Her heart was beating. She channeled some more magic into the glass, urging the material to be pliant enough to control the beat of the blonde's heart. When she was satisfied with the result, she gently removed her hand from Emma's chest and sat back on her heels.

"Mom?"

"Everything's all right, Henry," Regina assured her son. "I've conjured a glass wall around her heart and cast a spell to make it keep her heart beating."

"Like a magical pacemaker?"

"You could say that," Regina said with a nod. "Come here and hold on to my arm."

Henry moved to his mothers and held on to the brunette as she poofed them all out of the forest and into the middle of a moderately busy ER.

Dr Whale hurried over, setting aside the medical chart in his hand. "What's happened?" He took out a penlight and opened Emma's left eye to check for pupil dilation, then quickly checked over the other. When he didn't receive a response, he looked over at the ex-mayor. "Miss Mills? What happened to the Saviour?"

"Zelena. She almost killed her."

"My Mom saved her," Henry said, needing the doctor to understand that she wasn't at fault here.

"Check her heart," Regina whispered quietly. "I've done what I can, but I would appreciate it if you double-checked to make sure her signs were stable."

Dr Whale looked the woman over once more and nodded finally. "Sure thing, Miss Mills. Nurse Donna? Call the Charmings."

Nurse Donna hurried to the phone.

* * *

Emma winced as she awoke in her hospital bed. "What happened?" she grumbled and tried to sit up, but hands stopped her and pushed her shoulders back down. "What-"

"Miss Swan, it would be best if you remain horizontal until Dr Whale has the results of the scans."

"What? But- Regina?" the blonde squinted up, sort of recognizing the brunette blur in front of her eyes. "What's going on?"

"You've been hurt," Regina spoke in a low voice. "Really badly. Please, remain where you are."

"Are you worried about me?" Emma asked, surprised. It wasn't the first time the blonde had been hurt and the brunette had never shown such concern for her well-being any of those times.

"I held your life in my hand, quite literally. I am a little worried, yes. I fear I may have done more harm than good, that is why you must wait for Dr Whale."

"More harm than good? Christ, what did you even do? Why does my chest hurt so bad?"

"Don't you remember what happened before you passed out?"

"Not really."

Regina let out a heavy sigh and sat back down in the chair next to the blonde's bed. "Zelena tried to kill you. Had I not intervened, your heart would have exploded."

"My heart?...Holy shit, how did you stop that?"

"I…"

The door to Emma's room opened and Dr Whale came in, a chart in his hands. "Ah, good. I see the patient is awake. Are we ready for the results?"

Hearing the doctor's voice, the charmings sat up straight, rubbing sleep from their eyes and nudged Henry by their side.

"All the scans look fine, considering," Dr Whale began and cleared his throat. "I'm not really sure what you did Regina, but it looks like you saved Miss Swan's life today."

"She's okay?"

"Like I said, I'm not really sure what you did. Given it continues to work the way it is right now, there's no reason that she wouldn't be fine."

"What did you do?" Snow asked, curious, not angry for once.

"I'll leave you to it then," Dr Whale said and left the room, not wanting to be around if Snow or her Prince Charming decided to have it out with the brunette once she told them.

Emma cleared her throat. "I'd sort of like to know that too," she pointed out.

"It's...no, it's not complex. It's was just difficult and nothing I've ever actually attempted before. I've only ever read about it," Regina began to explain, but Henry cut in.

"She totally turned your heart into a glass pacemaker."

"Henry!" "What!?" Regina and everyone else shouted at once.

"What does that even mean?" David demanded. "What if it breaks!?"

"It shouldn't."

"It shouldn't? That's the best you can come up with?"

"Stop it, Dad. She saved my life. You can ask without yelling at her, okay?"

Charming snapped his mouth shut and looked at Regina in a way that seemed just as demanding as his outburst.

"As long as she is in the vicinity of my magic, it will continue to work."

"So if you leave Storybrooke, she'll die?" Snow asked.

"I will not be leaving Storybrooke."

"Wait, so I can't leave Storybrooke either?" Emma muttered. "For how long?"

"Does that really matter? Do you have anywhere else you'd rather be?" Regina snarked at the woman.

"Sometimes, yeah," Emma admitted, looking down at her hands. Her vision was finally starting to clear up.

* * *

It was a mere hour later that Emma found herself facing off against Zelena again, only this time Hook was with her and both had fallen through some kind of portal and landed on the soft forest floor of the Enchanted Forest. She took a look around the forest around her. "You have got to be kidding me." Her mother was right.

_**An hour earlier...**_

"_I don't think this is a good idea. You might end up worse off than you are now," Snow complained as she tried to keep up with her daughter who was trying to locate her jacket in the hospital room._

"_You heard Regina. As long as I'm in Storybrooke, I'm fine."_

"_But-"_

"_Look, I get that you're concerned, but having a glass heart doesn't change the fact that the crazy half-sister of the ex-Evil Queen is wanting to take everyone out, okay? If someone doesn't stop her, we're all going to be dead anyways." Emma shoved past her mother and out of the room._

_**30 years earlier**_

Emma felt her heart begin to race and groaned aloud.

"What is it, love?"

"What do you think? We're in the freaking Enchanted Forest. Again," she growled out. "This day just keeps getting worse."

"Well, good news, looks like the Enchanted Forest survived all right then," Hook said with a smile, trying to make the best of a bad situation.

"Great observation, genius. We already knew that." Emma chewed her bottom lip and wondered how exactly she was supposed to get out of this.

"Well it can't be all that bad, right? We'll find a way back," Hook tried again, but his face fell as the next words came from the blonde.

"It is that bad. If we don't find a way back and fast, I'm going to die."

Hook watched as the blonde took off into the woods without another word. "Wait, what?" He hurried after her. "What do you mean you're going to die!?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Storybrooke, present day**_

Regina was livid as she paced back and forth in the hospital lobby, her heels clicking loudly with every step taken.

Snow, Charming, Henry, the nurses and doctors, stood around watching her as little tufts of purple smoke were coming off her.

Regina muttered under breath, wracking her brain, trying to come up with anything that might help in this situation. None would suffice, however, because there was no way for her to find the blonde. Finally she turned on Snow White and grabbed her by the front of her hideous shirt. "I cannot believe you allowed this to happen!"

Charming jumped in, trying to pry Regina's hands off his wife's shirt. "Woah. Hold on a second. How about you let her go and we can try to find a solution instead."

Regina let go with a shove, a little disappointed when someone stopped Snow from falling on her butt. "There are no solutions," Regina hissed at Charming, which made the man draw away from her a little. "Would you care to know why?" she asked, stepping right into his personal space. "That little bit of magic keeping her alive was designed for me. I never had to worry about not being in my own presence. Your daughter, however, left this hospital and went after my deranged half-sister, again, because apparently she's as stupid as the two of you are and your idiot wife LET her."

Snow kept her head bent and her eyes to the ground. She knew that it was her fault. She should have tried harder to keep Emma there. She should have gone with her. She should have called Regina immediately. She should have-

"Now I know you don't want to hear this, but I'll say it, because it's the truth." And because Regina needed to say it. "I cannot feel the Saviour anymore. That means she's either dead or no longer within the limits of Storybrooke, in which case I have no idea how long her heart will last."

"So you're just going to give up," Charming accused.

Regina's eyes swam purple at the accusation. She had tried to save the Saviour's life. No. She had succeeded. It was Snow White who had screwed up. Again. "No. I just won't allow your wife to make me into a monster again." With that, she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke and left everyone in the haze of what her words might mean.

_**Enchanted Forest, 30 years ago**_

Emma slowed herself to a stop and leaned against a nearby tree. Her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest and her eyes were almost wild. She had to find a way back.

Hook finally caught up with her and he was carrying something in his hand.

"What is that?" Emma asked, bent a little at the waist, trying to breathe normally.

"I found something I thought you might be interested in," he waved off in the distance behind him. "Found it on a tree back there."

Emma took the paper from him and unfurled it. **Wanted. Snow White. For crimes against the Queen: MURDER, TREASON, TREACHERY**. She felt herself relax a little. There may be some hope after all. The portal had brought them to the Enchanted Forest, but in the past. She smiled then.

"I didn't expect for you to smile over this. Trapped in the Enchanted Forest is bad enough, but we've found ourselves trapped in the past, as well."

"You don't get it. That's a wanted poster for my mother."

"And?..." Sometimes the Swan girl made no sense and this was one of those times. Why would she be delighted over her own mother's Wanted poster?

"It means the Evil Queen is here too," Emma explained, her eyebrows raised meaningfully.

Now the man just looked confused.

Emma muttered something incoherent and looked off into the trees again.

"I didn't get that, Love."

"I said, 'I need her.'," Emma snapped at him. "If I don't get back to her, I'll die," she tried again, as if that made any more sense to the man.

"Then we'll get you back to the less homicidal version and you still haven't told me why you're going to die."

Emma reached into her own chest and struggled to yank her heart out.

"Good god, Swan. What the hell?! What are you doing?" Hook was caught between impressed and disgusted.

"I'm taking my heart out. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I'm not even going to ask when you learned to do that," Hook felt like he might throw up a little. A human heart should remain in one's body.

Emma finally got her heart free from her chest and turned it to show the man.

Hook stepped closer, peering at the heart before him. It looked a little larger than most hearts and appeared to be encased in something; glass perhaps. It pulsated rapidly, the colour going from transparent to purple and back again.

"You see that? That's Regina's magic wearing off. If I don't find her, it'll explode and I _will_ die." She shoved her heart back into her chest and put her hands on her hips. "Questions?"

"Yes. How long do you have?"

"I have no idea, that's why we need to find her." Emma turned away and started walking in the direction she'd been heading. At least now she knew what 'gut feeling' she was going by. She was feeling Regina's magic, even if it did feel faint.

Hook put the paper in his satchel and followed the blonde. "You know that woman would kill you for asking for help and put your dead body on display as an example!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Just as Emma said those words, horses sounded on a road she hadn't noticed nearby. She hid behind a tree.

Hook hid behind another and both waited for the travellers to pass.

The horses and carriage slowed, however, until they came to a stop.

"Regina," Emma whispered, just loud enough for Hook to overhear and peer at her curiously.

Hook saw the carriage and banged his head on the tree trunk. "Well that's bloody fantastic."

The door to the carriage opened and the Evil Queen stepped out into the light.

Emma took one look at her, then back at herself and laughed inside that the Queen had once worn a red jacket too, even if it did look a hundred times fancier. She looked back at the dark woman again. Was that a cape? And those leather pants...who knew. That hat, though.

"Who's out there?"

Emma could feel a shiver on the nape of her neck. Oh yeah, she'd never heard Regina Mills sound quite as cold as this. Evil Queen is here. She decided it might be wise not to piss this one off. She stepped out from behind the tree, her hands raised in surrender and tried to ignore the aghast look on Hook's face. "Hi. I'm Emma."

The Evil Queen looked her up and down. "Why are you hiding and what exactly _are_ you wearing, Dear?"

Okay, someone with shoulder pads should not be mocking anyone else's clothes, Emma mused, but kept it to herself. "Just trying something new and I wasn't hiding. Well, I was, but I mean, not from you or anything like that."

"Come here."

Emma did as she was told and stopped a few feet shy of the woman. She could feel the magic stronger now, but it still felt pretty faint. Weird.

The Evil Queen moved around the blonde, running a hand up her arm, across her shoulders as she walked behind her, and down back the other arm.

"See something you like?" Emma teased and received a smack across the back of her head. That hurt a little more than it needed to, she thought with a wince. "Sorry. I just sort of feel like I'm being checked for my pedigree of some kind." Emma nearly started when a voice spoke close to her ear.

"Well you certainly look like you're made from good stock," the Evil Queen teased back. She drew away from her and walked back to where she had been standing. "You appear to have magic, girl, but I sense another's magic in you as well." She spun around to face the blonde. "It almost feels like mine. Dare to explain how that might be?"

_You did ask for this,_ Emma reminded herself. The sooner the better and all that. She didn't know how to explain this to the woman before her.

The Evil Queen reached out and grabbed Emma by the throat. "Speak!"

Emma's eyes went wide. Holy shit, this lady had like no patience at all. She suddenly appreciated all the times she'd pissed of Regina and come out mostly unscathed. "It's- you…" Emma tapped on the hand that was squeezing her throat and it relaxed a little. "You saved my life," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "That's why I have some of your magic. Please don't kill me." For a moment she thought the woman would actually go back to strangling her, but instead, received a penetrating stare.

The Evil Queen released her. "I've never met you before and I don't save lives," she spat. "Not anymore."

"There's more, but I promise I'm not lying. Please...just...I need your help and I know you'll probably kill me for asking, but I wouldn't ask unless not asking would kill me, which it will."

"I won't promise to help you, but I would hear the rest of your ridiculous tale, Dear." The Evil Queen motioned for the guards to grab her and re-entered her carriage, the door slamming behind her.

"What- But-"

"You're coming back with us," one of the guards said and led her back to his horse.

Hook for his part, hadn't moved an inch as the Evil Queen and Emma spoke. They'd gone from walking to being taken by the woman they were looking for. No, that Emma had been looking for. He wanted nothing to do with it, but as he watched the carriage and guards leaving down the road, he knew he'd go after the blonde anyway. "Look what you've got us into now, Swan."

_**Storybrooke, present**_

Regina sat up in bed, her heart a flutter. She looked around the room, but there was no Emma. That was strange, why would Emma be there?

She reached for her phone and quickly dialed the number of her once mortal enemy. It took a few rings, but the groggy woman finally picked up.

"Regina? What's going on?" Snow asked, afraid that the woman might have bad news at such a late hour.

"I found Emma," Regina explained, trying not to think of memory her dreams had brought on.

"Where is she!?" Snow shrieked into the phone.

"She's in the past."

* * *

**Wow. Thank you so much for the interest in this story. I haven't written fanfic in a long time and it feels good to get back into it.**

**I'm glad people are enjoying the concept. I've been tinkering with it for a while, so here we are now.**

**I do intend on finishing this one, so expect more. This last bit probably felt a bit sudden, but looking back at what happened near those episodes, things happened pretty quickly too, so I did the same. Next we'll slow down and figure out what's the what.**

**Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Storybrooke, present**_

Regina stared into her untouched mug of hot chocolate as she sat at the table in the kitchen. After an hour of tossing and turning after she'd ended the call with Snow White, she'd given up and come downstairs to relax herself with the hot drink. She tightened her robe around her and shivered a little, trying to ignore the deafening silence around her.

She pushed the now cold drink away from her and rested her head on the table's cool surface. She'd only told Snow a partial truth of what her dream had dredged up from her memories.

Emma Swan was alive and the Evil Queen had her. Not necessarily the most comforting of scenarios for her once mortal enemy, but at least if the Evil Queen had her, her magic might keep Emma alive long enough for them to find a way to bring her back.

Yet, the memory had been more than that.

The Evil Queen had been minding her own business, heading to a tiny village, ready to incinerate anyone willing to stand in her way of obtaining information on the whereabouts of one Snow White. Nothing got in the way of the Evil Queen and what she wanted. Nothing.

Until Emma Swan happened.

The soldiers and carriage came to a stop in a nondescript part of the forest and the Evil Queen had stepped out into the fresh air, thickened with the presence of a powerful magic that only she seemed to be aware of.

She'd called out to the trees and a blonde woman emerged from behind a tree, wearing the strangest clothes she'd ever seen. Emma, she'd said her name was. She'd looked nervous, but not afraid as she faced the woman most would flee in terror. In fact, the blonde had seemed to be sizing her up, if anything.

For her own part, the Evil Queen had been taken by the blonde as well. That atrocious red leather jacket that Regina hated so much, wasn't hated by her former self and the way Emma's clothes hugged her body had made her nostrils flare a little. She'd eventually reached the woman's eyes; a green brighter than she'd ever seen, and knew then what she'd only ever refuse to acknowledge as a possibility.

Emma had flirted and she'd flirted back.

Regina felt a flutter and placed her hand over her stomach. Regina remembered now, what the Evil Queen had known the moment the blonde had stepped out from behind that tree.

She and Emma Swan had fallen in love at first sight. But how could that be?

_**Winter Palace, 30 years ago**_

Hurt wasn't exactly the word that Emma would have used to describe how her butt and legs felt by the time the armed group reached the gates of the Winter Palace. She was a city girl, damnit, she wasn't bred for this kind of cowboy duty. How could these people do this every day? Their asses must have callouses the size of Texas.

"You can get down now," the soldier at her front said over this shoulder.

With no help? Emma let go of the man and tried her best to lift her right leg to get off on the left side, but only succeeded in falling off the horse entirely. She laid there on the ground, a little grateful that it hadn't rained, and waited for the pain to subside.

Footsteps approached and halted next to her. "Emma?"

Emma tried to lift her head, but a hand landed in the middle of her chest and pushed her down. "What-"

"How could you be so reckless?" the now kneeling Evil Queen demanded of the blonde. "You could have killed yourself."

Well that at least sounded like her Regina. "I've never actually been on a horse before," she admitted, because that makes perfect sense how someone simply falls off of one. "My butt hurts, but I can't feel it. How is that even possible?"

The Evil Queen wanted to smile at the woman's words, but her look turned frosty. "Have you injured yourself?"

"I think I hurt my arm?" Emma tried to lift the arm in question, but the moment she did, a searing pain tore through her right shoulder and part ways across her chest. She cried out and held her arm close to her, trying to breathe through it. "Ow, ow, ow," she whimpered.

"You would do well to wait for someone to help you off the horse in the future, Dear." The Evil Queen stool, trying to calm her heart. "Someone help her inside, then bring her to me." As the soldiers moved around her, she could only think of how the woman's fall had struck fear into her heart. What kind of sorcery was this?

_**Storybrooke - Granny's Diner, present day**_

Ruby gently shook Regina's shoulder. "Regina?" She snapped her fingers near the woman's face for the umpteenth time and finally dark eyes opened and focussed on her. "Hey. Is everything all right?"

Regina sat up, on high alert, and looked around. Ah. Granny's Diner. She vaguely recalled making her way over for some fresh air and coffee. She tried her best to glare at her fellow patrons who seemed to pay more attention to her than their breakfast, but didn't have the energy to tell them off.

"Regina. Look at me." Ruby commanded and the ex-Mayor did as she was told. "Have you slept at all?"

"Coffee. I need coffee." Regina couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this exhausted.

"Well, good morning, Graham," Ruby teased. "Do you want a bearclaw with that?" The look she received for her teasing took the smile from the waitress's face. "No, bearclaw?"

Regina looked anything but impressed. "Just the coffee."

Ruby took Regina's previously untouched coffee and put it in the sink, before grabbing a new cup and pouring her another. "Do you plan on actually drinking this one?" she asked, placing it in front of the woman.

Regina grabbed the cup and moved to bring it to her lips.

"Woah!" Ruby reached out and stopped her. "Are you crazy? At least wait a minute before you scald yourself. Geez, how tired are you?"

"I don't need you to mother me, Ms Lucas."

"I'm not trying to mother you. Your wits don't seem to be with you right now."

Regina sighed and slumped a little on _her_ stool at the Diner. "Who gets off a horse by falling off?" she asked, shaking her head with a laugh.

Ruby looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Emma," Regina answered and shook her head. "She couldn't feel her butt."

Ruby tried to look like she had a clue about what the woman was talking about, but made her way over to her purse at the far end of the counter and took her phone out. It took two rings, but Graham finally picked up. She explained Regina's state and he assured her he was on his way.

It was as she was hanging up that Granny appeared from the back room. "Is Regina Mills sleeping on my counter?"

Ruby looked in the ex-Mayor's direction and sure enough, she had her head rested across crossed arms, sound asleep. "Looks that way," Ruby agreed.

Granny shook her head, not wanting to know the why behind it as she headed back to the kitchen.

_**Storybrooke, present day**_

It was Sheriff Graham who appeared at the Diner, instead of David. "Morning, ladies," he said with a tip of his head at Ruby and her grandmother. "I've come to gather a sleeping woman?"

Ruby pointed at the sleeping Regina. "Can't wake her up."

"Is she sick?" he wondered, coming closer to peer at her face. He held his hand out in front of her nose and felt puffs of air. "Well, she's breathing, at least."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I said she was sleeping, not dead."

"Right." Graham maneuvered the brunette until he could get a grip on her and lifted her in his arms, one arm under knees and the other around her back. "Care to get the door for me?"

"Sure!" Ruby hurried to the door to help him, then followed him outside towards the car. "Hey, Graham?"

"Yeah?" He moved over to the passenger side and waited as Ruby opened the door.

"Have you ever heard of someone named Emma?"

Graham placed Regina in the car and buckled her in. He stood and scratched his head, trying to remember anyone he'd ever met in Storybrooke. "Nah, I don't think so. Why?"

"No reason. Thanks for coming to get her."

"Sure."

Ruby watched and waited as the Sheriff got in his car and drove off. She shrugged and went back into Granny's Diner.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

The story follows a painful (for me) series of twists and turns within a case of time travel where things expand and snap back. Each part is a ripple of the whole that started with Emma going back in time. We're seeing it bit by bit, or at least I'm trying to show it bit by bit as memories are made. Things are changing as other things happen in the story and they'll keep changing. No one is dead or alive or exists or doesn't exist for very long. At least...not until we're at the last ripple of the story.

That probably didn't half make sense, sorry for that.

Thank you so much for the interest in and patience with this story. I honestly wasn't expecting it. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

_**Winter Palace, 30 years ago**_

Emma held onto her injured arm as she struggled to keep up with two of the Evil Queen's black-armoured guards. "Hey, do you think maybe we could slow down a... little?"She let out a low whistle as she took in the decor around her and couldn't help feeling like she was back in the Mayor's office in Storybrooke. She always kind of assumed that the woman had had an aversion to colour, but turns out, she was probably just trying to make the place feel like home. Odd though, she couldn't imagine Regina wanting to be in a dark castle like this one. Didn't this belong to Snow White's father?

"This way," one of the guards commanded gruffly, interrupting the blonde from her thoughts.

Emma hadn't realized the guards had turned a corner and left her to wander off. She felt her cheeks grow hot and quickly followed after them. They entered a longer hall, lined with mirrors. "Wow. Carnival much?" she muttered under breath as they passed each one. Every mirror seemed to be a different shape or size. What was with Regina and mirrors? Oh. Right. Evil Queen. Magic mirror. She slammed into one of the guards in front of her. "Oh, come on, seriously!?" she shouted at him, her eyes tearing up from the pain that ripped through her shoulder. "Are you kidding me!? Shit."

The guard ignored her. "Your guest, Your Majesty."

"Leave us."

The guards bowed, turned away, and headed back down the way they came from.

"Are you all right, Dear?" the Evil Queen asked, coming into view and gently grasped Emma's good elbow.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty. That guard is an idiot."

"Mmm," the Evil Queen nodded and led Emma to sit down on her lounging chair. "Why don't you have a seat while I have a look at that for you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." She let the woman help her with her jacket and took a moment to get a good look at her up close. This Regina looked just like her Regina, only with a lot more makeup, big hair, and...good god, what was she wearing? She tried her best not look at the cleavage, but the woman's dress didn't exactly leave her much in the way of choices. She hissed sharply when her arm was lifted to remove her shirt. "God that hurts." Well that took her mind off the woman's assets at least.

"My apologies, Dear. I only mean to have a look at it."

"Do you think you can fix it?"

The Evil Queen pursed her lips as she poked and prodded the injured shoulder, ignoring every hiss out of the blonde's mouth. She felt a little bad, but it was necessary bad in order to assess the damage done. "Good news, Dear." She grabbed the arm and yanked it forward, hearing the audible plop of the arm popping back into place. The string of expletives that came out of the blonde's mouth, even surprised the Evil Queen, though she didn't understand half of them. She fought a smirk, but in the end it won out.

"Why would you do that?" Emma whined, her eyes filled with tears. That had hurt. "Of course you'd smile about it too."

"Oh, don't be a baby."

"Easy for you to say," Emma mumbled. "And I'm not a baby."

"Yes, Dear. I had noticed," the Evil Queen said, making sure to leer at the woman in front of her whose tanktop was entirely flattering to her form.

"Oh, my god!" Emma grabbed her shirt and held it in front of her chest. "Are you ogling me!?"

"It seems only fitting, since you were ogling my assets only moments ago," the darker woman said with a shrug.

"But, but- Your dress. I mean it's not exactly modest- I- I wasn't trying to ogle you..." Emma rambled, trying to ignore the heat creeping into her cheeks. This would be the best time in the world for another time portal to appear and take her anywhere but where she was in that moment.

The Evil Queen waved her off. "Oh, don't be silly, Dear. I know perfectly well what effect I have on others. The dresses help."

Footsteps alerted them to an approaching figure.

The Evil Queen looked up and smiled. "Daddy."

"Daddy?" Emma looked confused, but followed the Evil Queen's line of sight to an older, kinder looking man. This was Regina's father!? She watched the woman get up, go over to him and hug him. It was strange to see Regina this close to anyone.

"How was your day, Sweetheart?" the man asked, following her further into her chambers. He stopped when he saw Emma. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a guest."

"Nonsense. Daddy, this is Emma. Emma, this is my father, Henry."

Henry bowed his head towards the blonde woman, which she awkwardly returned. He smiled as she did so, it was clear she wasn't used to it. "And where did you come from, Emma?"

"That's...a little hard to explain," she said, suddenly remembering why she was there. "I can't say where I'm from, but I do need to get back there, somehow. I was sort of hoping that Reg- The Queen might help me."

"You're braver than most to ask help of the Queen," the Henry pointed out. He couldn't help but shoot a look over at this daughter, who thankfully didn't look like she wanted to kill the blonde for doing so.

"Yeah, well. I'll die either way, so I figure, why not? Right?" Emma said with a shrug and whimpered in pain. "Damn. How long does it take a shoulder to heal?"

"Would you care to tell me why you're going to die, Dear?"

"Well...that's a long story. No, it's not a long story, it's just complicated and part of the things I can't really tell the whole truth about."

The Evil Queen let out a breath, finding herself annoyed. "So you want my help, but you can't tell me how."

"Wait no, I can sort of tell you how, but I just can't say why it happened?" Emma asked more than stated, looking between the two Mills to see if that had been the right thing to say. Both looked worried. "I promise it's nothing against you, okay? I'm not here to stir up any trouble. I just need to get home and maybe get a booster if you got one."

"What's a booster?" Henry asked his daughter, who gave him a shrug.

"Emma, tell us why you think you're going to die."

Emma held a hand out and waited patiently for the Evil Queen to get the message. When she felt the woman's hand in her own she pulled her closer and placed the flat of her hand against her chest, above her heart. "Feel that...does it feel normal to you?"

"What are you-?" The woman tried to reclaim her hand, but the blonde held on tighter.

"Just feel it."

It took a moment, but finally the Evil Queen felt it. An irregular rhythm beneath her palm. "Your heart...what's wrong with it?"

"Take it out."

"Most people wouldn't be encouraging the Evil Queen to take their heart, Dear."

"I'm not most people and if I'm going to die anyways, who cares, right? Take it out," she encouraged. Mostly, she just didn't want to have to do it to herself again. It felt pretty gross coming out the first time. She felt the hand sink into her chest and the fingers wrap around her glass heart, but just barely. She looked up at the startled look in dark brown eyes. "Weird, right?"

The Evil Queen pulled and the heart followed. Her father gasped at the sight of it. She waved him off and looked closer at the thing. "Is this a real heart?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately. Someone tried to kill me, so another someone wrapped my heart in glass and cast some kinda spell to keep it going."

"Another someone." The Evil Queen said as she turned the heart over and got a better look at what was inside the semi-transparent chambers. Magic. A familiar magic. Her features turned dark at that. What trickery was this? "Who are you?"

"I told you who I am."

"No. Tell me the truth."

"What is it?" Henry asked, trying to understand what was going on. What had caused his daughter to turn on her guest so quickly?

The Evil Queen waved the heart in front of her father's face, ignoring the slightly disgusted look on his face at seeing the organ. "Another someone! This is my magic or at least it feels it. The only other person who has magic similar to mine belongs to Mother."

"Whoa, wait. Hold up. I swear to you that that is not Cora's magic, okay?"

"And how are you familiar with what is and is not my Mother's magic or mine for that matter?" Regina turned on the blonde then.

"I can't tell you!"

"Tell me why I shouldn't crush your heart right now?" the woman leaned down and hissed in the blonde's face.

"You won't crush my heart," Emma said back. "If you intended to harm me, my heart wouldn't have come out. Your mother tried that and failed."

The Evil Queen stepped back and away from the blonde. "Guards!" she shouted and two came running. "Take her to the dungeon."

"What?! Regina, please-"

"How informal of you. You would do well to stick with Your Majesty, Dear."

"Your Majesty, please," Emma tried again. "You're the only one who can help me."

The Evil Queen turned away and waited as the guards grabbed Emma and hauled her down the hall, the woman kicking and screaming the entire way.

"That was entirely unnecessary," her father spoke up.

"I needed to think."

"And you had to send your guest to the dungeon in order for you to think?"

"I'm the Queen. I will do what I want," she sneered at him and looked down at the heart in her hand. "If she speaks the truth and this isn't Mother's work, then it must be mine."

"But how could you have done something you don't remember doing?"

The Evil Queen had a short temper, but she had an even quicker mind. There was a truth that Emma could not speak about where she came from and how she came to be in her predicament. She looked to her father. "Perhaps I haven't done it yet."

_**Storybrooke, present day**_

When Regina awoke the next morning, she found herself in her own bed. She looked over at the night table and saw the time. Half-past five. Next to the clock, there was a note. She sat up and grabbed it.

_Ruby called. I brought you home. - Graham_

The crumped up the paper and threw it through the doorway of her room. Useless. What an utterly useless note. She got up and made her way to her door and peered out. "Henry?" The door to his room was closed. He had to be home. "Henry?" she called louder.

Feet hit the floor and after a few steps, the door was pulled open, revealing the 12 year old behind it. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come get you at the school today."

Henry shrugged. "Whatever. I'm 12, Mom. I can get home by myself." He closed the door before she could say anything else to him.

Regina couldn't help but feel the heartache the action brought on. Things had been like this for going on three years. Ever since she'd stopped him from trying to leave Storybrooke to find his "real" mother. She was just a villain in one of his books, but she couldn't tell him how true that was.

As she headed downstairs, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped to take a look. She looked tired. She looked unhappy. This wasn't supposed to be her life. She'd loved once and her happy ending had been in her grasp, but she hadn't seen it.

She sighed. Perhaps she would just give the boy what he wanted. She made her to the phone in the foyer and dialed a number, pressing the receiver to her ear. The phone rang several times, before someone finally picked up.

"Mr Gold. I'm in need of assistance."

_**Boston, present day**_

A shrill ring sounded through the one-bedroom apartment. After the second ring, the tenant, a blonde only just 30 hurried out of her bathroom, stark naked and dripping water all over the floor. She cursed, but picked up the phone. "What do you have for me, Vince?"

"My apologies. My name is Mr Gold and I'm looking for a Miss Emma Swan."

"Yeah? That's me. I'm Emma Swan."

"Excellent, Dearie. I'm in a bit of a bind, you see and I'm told that you're the person to call, when you've run out of places to find someone."

"You were told right," Emma said as she headed back to the bathroom to turn off the shower. "Who is it that you need to find?"

"That...would be best explained in person, if you wouldn't mind meeting me."

Emma had been waiting on a job for the past week, she supposed she might go ahead and help this guy. "Yeah, sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."


	5. Chapter 5

**Took a moment off my short to update this story. Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

**_Route 4 - Maine, present day_**

A yellow Bug made its way along Route 4, heading northwards through the state of Maine. The route was bordered on both sides with thick, dark forest. Emma Swan was in the driver's seat, trying to keep her mind off the rumbling coming from her stomach. She hadn't had anything to eat since noon and it wasn't looking like she'd find anything to eat anytime soon and it was already nearing 8pm. "Come on," she muttered, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. "Where is this damn town?" Just as she said that, she passed by a road, almost completely hidden by the trees in the darkness. She slammed the brakes and came to a screeching halt. She backed up a bit and peered down the dark the road. "A little out of the way? He couldn't have mentioned it was down a creepy ass road?"

She turned down onto the road and drove on for another 15 minutes before finally reaching a big sign on the town's outer limits. _Welcome to Storybrooke. _She slapped her hand on the wheel and let out a whoop of joy. She might actually get some food in her body, after all.

It was another few minutes before she reached the town proper limits and hit Main Street. "Small town," she said as she peered out the window at the sparse buildings and continued down the road. She finally spotted one of the townspeople, a redheaded man walking his Dalmatian. She slowed to a stop at the curb and leaned over, struggling to roll down the window. It was the one thing about her car that she hated, but she loved the car too much to replace it for automatic windows. "Hey! Hey, excuse me?"

The man smiled and stepped off the curb to peer down into the car. "Oh, hello there," he said and adjusted his spectacles.

Emma brushed her hair out of her face. "Would you mind telling me where I can get some food in this town?"

The man chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Come a long way, have you?"

"You can say that again. I've been driving for hours and at this rate, I think my stomach might actually start consuming nearby vital organs."

"Well. I guess the best place to find food would be Granny's Diner, then. It isn't very far from here. Two blocks. Pongo!" His dog jumped at the passenger side door and he struggled to keep him down. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. Old car."

"Archie Hopper," Archie said, reaching a hand in through the open window.

"Emma Swan," Emma took the offered hand and shook it. "Thanks for the help."

"Sure thing. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Emma watched as Archie and Pongo made their way down the way she came, wondering what he meant exactly. Did he know why she was in town? She turned off the curb and continued down the street. Sure enough, Granny's was exactly where Archie said it would be. She parked across the street and got out, stretching her legs and shaking them out. "Oh, god. That feels so good," she groaned. She always hated long trips. It was killer on the legs. When she felt ready enough to walk without falling over, she crossed the street, and entered Granny's Diner.

**_Mayor's Mansion - Storybrooke, present day_**

The telephone rang over and over again, until finally Regina stepped out of the living room and went over to the phone in the foyer. She looked around, but there was no sign of Henry. She lifted the receiver and put it to her ear. "Regina Mills."

"Good evening, Dearie."

"Do you have any news?"

"But, of course! I was just calling to let you know that the boy's mother has arrived in Storybrooke. I'm looking at her right now."

"Where are you?"

"Granny's Diner."

"I'll be right there." Regina hung up the phone and hurried over to the base of the stairs. "Henry?" she called up, but received no answer. "Henry, answer me."

"What?" Henry shouted back from behind the closed door to his room.

"We're going to Granny's for dinner." She heard his feet hit the floor and he came running out. She gave a sigh and went to the door, grabbing her blazer off the foyer table on the way out.

**_Granny's Diner - Storybrooke, present day_**

Emma stood just inside the doorway of Granny's Diner with all eyes on her. The little bell above her head had alerted the patrons that she was there and now it was like no one could _not_ look at her as walked over to the counter and took a seat on the second stool. "Hey," she said to the wide-eyed brunette behind the counter. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, no, no. No, we just don't get anyone new around here, that's all. Ever."

The patrons slowly returned their attention to their meals, but kept an eye on the newcomer.

At least she could breathe again, Emma thought. "So, uh, I was sorta hoping that you guys made really good cheeseburgers. Any chance of that?"

"The best in town," the waitress said with a wink. "Would you like anything else with that?"

"Maybe a Coke. And actually, can I get two cheeseburgers?"

"Of course. Sit tight."

Emma didn't notice that one of the patrons had made his way over to her, as she watched the brunette get to work on her burgers.

"Good evening, Ms Swan."

Emma whirled around to face the man. "Mr Gold! It is Mr Gold, right? You don't have like another guy around here who sounds just like you?"

Mr Gold chuckled. "No, Dearie. I am one of a kind. Mind if I have a seat?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry I'm late; I just needed to refuel a little before heading over to your shop. Wherever that is…"

"Not a problem, Ms Swan," Mr Gold brushed off and took a seat in the stool to her left. "There isn't very much going on in this town, so there isn't very much to miss out on if one is late," he assured her.

"Yeah, I can kind of believe that," Emma said with a nod. Several moments passed in awkward silence. "So, while we're here...Do you want to maybe tell me what the job is?"

"Ah, yes. The Job. Well. I'm afraid, Dearie, that I've brought you here under false pretenses."

"False pretenses?" Emma felt a little stupid. She'd come all this way, way too tired to think of why she would even have to come so far for information, which might actually be a trap. Okay, so for most people it wouldn't be a trap. This wasn't some Hollywood movie, but still.

"I'm not the one who wanted to talk to you. That would be our dear Mayor Mills. She asked for you and I make things happen."

"And she couldn't tell me what she wanted over the telephone like a normal person? Clearly, whoever this woman is, she doesn't think I'll hear her out, so she had her lackeys lure me to town where I'd have no choice to listen."

"While rather accurate, I am no lackey, Dearie." The bell dinged over the door, just as it had when Emma entered and Mr Gold sat up straighter. "Ah, here she is now."

Emma turned on her stool and looked over at the woman. Before she could stop herself, she let out a low whistle in appreciation. She really wanted to smack herself. She hated when guys did that and here she was doing it now to this classy-ass looking lady. Mayor lady knows how to dress, Emma thought, taking the woman in from head to beautifully crafted toe heels. She'd listen to whatever this woman had to say.

Regina's eyes landed on the whistle's owner and looked stunned; her face pale as she began to tremble. She reached a hand out to keep herself upright, but there was nothing to grab hold of, instead she felt herself falling and her world go black.

**_Queen's Chambers - Winter Palace, 30 years ago_**

The Evil Queen had been pacing for an hour. She tried to ignore her father's eyes as he watched her move, yet said nothing. She stopped her pacing to look at the heart on her commode. She brought her hand to her lips and chewed on her thumbnail. "Why would I save someone I've never even met?" she pondered aloud, not really expecting an answer, but got one just the same.

"It isn't entirely unheard of, Regina. You've done it before and it would not surprise me if you somehow became that woman again," Henry said, trying to be as delicate in his tone as he could, so as not to provoke her feelings about the past.

The brunette dropped her arm to her side and rolled her eyes. "That naive girl is long gone, father."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that you've lost your ability to care."

The Evil Queen pursed her lips, but did not respond. It didn't matter what she said about it, her father always believed the best in her and he would never believe that his little girl was entirely gone.

Henry watched her as she thought, finally deciding after several long moments to speak up. "Are you going to bring the girl back up here so you can put her heart back where it belongs?"

"No. I've yet to figure out what she's up to."

"And how do you propose to discover her intent when she is sitting in a cell beneath your castle? I love you, but sometimes you act without reason and this is one of those times." Had any other spoken those words, they'd have been killed in an instant. He knew that, but still braved his daughter's temper, knowing she could snap at any time.

"Without reason?" the Evil Queen turned on her father, her eyes flashing dangerously. "How is it without reason? She mentioned Mother. You do remember your wife, don't you?"

"Of course, but-"

"You remember how dangerous she was."

"The girl said she wasn't working with your mother."

"Then tell me, how can she know the difference between my magic and Cora's?"

"Regina, darling. I believe the girl simply wants your help to get home, just as she said."

The Evil Queen laughed, then but it was void of all emotion. "You should know that no one ever _just_ wants anything, Daddy. They always want something else."

"While that might be true for most that come before you, I don't think this girl is one of them," he tried to reason, but there was no reasoning with his daughter when she was feeling paranoid. "She may know the difference, simply because you may be the person who helped her. Perhaps she doesn't know Cora's magic as intimately as you believe she might."

The Evil Queen considered the man's words and finally gave a sigh. "Fine." She grabbed the heart and headed out of her chambers, her father following quickly behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some answers."

**_Dungeon - Winter Palace, 30 years ago_**

Emma sat on a pile of hay, a meager excuse of a rag wrapped around her shoulders to try to fend off the cold. Was the dungeon supposed to be this cold? She got up and shuffled her way to the bars and peered out into the semi-darkness. "Hello? Excuse me? Is there anyone there? It's really cold...I was wondering if you might have an actual blanket I could use?" No answer. She rested her head against the bars. She was going to die of hypothermia before she could get any help.

"Oh, don't look so glum, Dear."

Emma lifted her head and peered out of the bars at the Evil Queen as she entered the room. "Your Majesty! Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I've never had someone thank me for putting them in the dungeon before."

"I'm freezing!" Emma explained as she rubbed her hands together and blew on them in an attempt to get some feeling back. "Please tell me you can magic me a blanket or something. It doesn't have to be super warm, just anything to cut the cold, please?"

Henry stepped up from behind his daughter and removed his coat. He held it out to her. "Take it."

The blonde was surprised by the man's gesture. She had trouble placing this man as the man that raised the Evil Queen. She reached out and took the coat. "Thank you." She pulled it through the bars and put it on. Some of his body heat was still in it. "So warm."

"Regina?" Henry looked to his daughter.

The Evil Queen waved her hand in front of the lock on the cell door and a click sounded through the room.

Henry pulled the door open and stood back, waiting for Emma to come out.

"Well?" the Evil Queen prompted when the blonde didn't make a move to leave.

"You're letting me out?"

"Don't celebrate just yet. I might have you sent back here if I am unsatisfied with your answers."

"Right." Emma stepped out of the cell.

"Don't move," the Evil Queen warned.

Emma noticed the heart in the woman's hand and felt a little relieved. "Oh, trust me, I don't plan to." She winced as the Evil Queen's hand sunk into her chest, heart and all, and finally settled the organ into its rightful place. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she whispered once the woman's hand was safely out of her chest again.

The brunette cleared her throat. "Yes, well. Father, please have our guest sent to the baths. She reeks of dungeon." She left the room before either one of them could speak.

Henry saw the look on Emma's face and smiled. "My daughter is playing nice."

"Of course she is."

**_Granny's Diner - Storybrooke, present day_**

When Regina opened her eyes, she was on the floor of the Diner. She felt someone holding her and when she looked up, brown eyes met familiar green. "Emma," she whispered, her voice reverent. She wanted to reach out and touch the woman's face. A face she hadn't seen in 30 years. A face that had haunted her dreams.

A frown creased the blonde's brow. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"Why don't we give Mayor Mills a bit of breathing room, Dearie?" Mr Gold suggested and the two of them helped the woman up off the floor.

Henry watched on, but he didn't seem entirely concerned about his Mom.

Regina felt in a daze as they led her over to the stools and helped her onto the first. She tried to ignore the other patrons and son, whom she knew were watching her. Any one of them would pay good money to see the Mayor acting like a normal human being.

"You know, maybe this isn't really the place to be talking?" Emma pointed out, not wanting to open up a can of worms in front of all these people.

"We might head over to my shop," Mr Gold suggested. "Do you think you'd be up for the walk, Madam Mayor?"

"You guys could go in the back room," the waitress offered.

"Thank you, Ms Lucas. That would do nicely."

Regina shoved both Mr Gold and Emma away when they tried to help her. "Don't touch me. I'm not an invalid."

Emma closed the door behind her as she joined the two in the back room. "So. Now that you've tricked me into coming to your little town, do one of you want to explain why?"

Mr Gold said nothing. It was, after all, the Mayor who had requested her presence. "Madam Mayor?"

Regina still couldn't take her eyes off Emma, her own filled with unshed tears.

The emotion from the brunette was really starting to creep Emma out. What had she managed to get herself into? She was way too tired for this shit. "Will someone tell me what I'm doing here?"

"Your son hates me."

Emma took a step back, putting more distance between her and the obviously crazy townsfolk. "I don't have a son."

"You do, or at least you did," Regina explained. "You gave him away twelve years ago. Almost thirteen."

"How did you find me? I told them not to give my information."

"That's what I was asked to find," Mr Gold put in then. "I am somewhat of a specialist when it comes to finding information about people."

"Great. So you brought me out here, because of some kid I gave away a long time ago, because he hates you? Don't you have someone else you could have called with your problems, like maybe a psychologist or a family therapist or counsellor or something?"

"My son has it in his head that if he knew his real mother, then all his troubles would disappear."

"How bad could his life be? I mean you're the Mayor, right? He's probably not missing out on much of anything."

"No, I definitely try to give him everything he needs, but apparently that isn't enough. His teacher, Miss Blanchard, gave him a book and he's convinced that I'm some Evil Queen."

"Are you?" Emma fired back at her.

Regina shut her mouth. She knew Emma Swan. She couldn't answer the question without the woman knowing it was a lie. One of her superpowers. "Everyone has a history, Miss Swan. It doesn't mean that they haven't changed."

Emma studied the Mayor, watching her eyes and the way the muscles moved in her face. She was omitting something, of that, she was certain. "You're right. Why don't you just tell the kid to get over it and move on?"

"I've tried. He insists on putting more distance between us."

Emma let out a heavy sigh. "Listen...I don't really think it's my place to get in anyone's family business, but if you want, I'll talk to kid. I'll tell him whatever you need me to tell him to make him stop being an ass and I can go back to Boston, okay?"

Go back? Regina couldn't allow that to happen now that she knew who she was. She'd let Emma Swan out of her grasp before; she wasn't going to make that mistake again.


End file.
